“Frankie!” Seamus shouted a little too loudly, which made students all around us look over. Not that Seamus cared. He wore a huge grin and gave me a side hug as he sat down beside me. “How are you?”

“You spoke to Constance, you already know—hey, where’s Rootbeer?” I quickly signed what I’d just said since it was pretty loud in the Great Hall.

“And Brody?” Birdie frowned and looked over her shoulder as she signed to Seamus.

“Both Brody and Rootbeer had too much energy to sit still so they’re running each other out in the courtyard.” He grinned. “It’s good for her to have playtime breaks.”

That made me smile. I signed and said out loud, “It’s Sunday. Why are y’all here? Why is everyone here, actually?”

Madge groaned and held her hands out in front of her. “Because we have to be ready to fight and we’re all feeling a little underprepared. Dammit, I’ve broken every nail now.”

“Je vais les réparer pour toi. Ensuite, peins-les joliment.” Jo kissed her cheek.

“So . . . Frankie . . .” Birdie cleared her throat, then leaned forward. “How’s Esther? We know she got hurt but no one will tell us a thing, not even her parents.”

Because they’re hiding something. I considered giving them a vague answer, but they were my friends. They’d brought me into their little group immediately and without hesitation or regret. They treated me like I’d always been there. That meant something to me. It meant a lot of something.

“Can any of you give us a little privacy so I can explain?”

Ava pulled her wand out of her bunny carrier and did a little swish. Then she winked one caramel eye at me. “Freedom of speech is yours.”

I took a deep breath and prayed my voice didn’t betray me. “It’s a long story and I can’t give you all the details—for your safety alone—but we got attacked by the Unseelie. Tegan . . . well, let’s just say Tegan was slightly incapacitated and one of them was going right for her. Esther jumped in front of her and took the hit. Sacrificed herself for Tegan.”

They gasped. Their faces going pale in horror.

“It was incredibly brave, selfless, and honestly saved our lives. Because she hasn’t woken from that hit yet . . .” I shuddered as my brain put the pieces together in real-time of what would have happened had Tegan gone down that night. “Most of The Coven might not be alive right now if Esther hadn’t done what she did.”

Jo cursed in French, then said a prayer to The Goddess that the others repeated.